WATCH — Twin earthquakes of Feb. 6: Türkiye’s disaster of the century

On the anniversary of Feb. 6, 2023 twin earthquakes that devastated southern Türkiye and affected tens of millions of people, Türkiye Today offers a deep dive into the disaster of the century

At precisely 4:17 a.m. on Feb. 6, 2023, time stopped. A magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck southern Türkiye. Its epicenter was the Pazarcik district of Kahramanmaras. The quake devastated 11 cities in Türkiye, and many in northern Syria, affecting millions of people.

Kahramanmaras, Hatay, Adiyaman, Osmaniye, Gaziantep, Sanliurfa, Malatya, Diyarbakir, Adana, Kilis and Elazig…

In a region about the size of Germany, thousands were trapped under the rubble within seconds. In total, 13 million people in Türkiye were affected. Türkiye declared a Level 4 emergency, entailing a call for international assistance.

However, the disaster was not yet over. Nine hours after the first earthquake, at precisely 1:24 p.m., a second magnitude 7.6 earthquake hit the Elbistan district of Kahramanmaras.

The second quake leveled numerous structures that had weathered the first one, putting even more thousands under the rubble.

The twin earthquakes together, razed entire cities to the ground.

This was, the disaster of the century.